It would appear safe to say that free-agent tight ends should want to play with Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals.
The proof is in the contracts signed by his last two starting tight ends.
One offseason ago, C.J. Uzomah earned a three-year deal worth $24 million with the New York Jets, with $15 million of it guaranteed. That, after setting career-highs in receiving yardage (493) and touchdowns (5).
This offseason, Hayden Hurst got a three-year deal worth $21.8 million from the Carolina Panthers, with $13 million of it guaranteed. He didn’t break career-highs in those areas, but he did flash that first-round upside that helped teams have an interest. Given the mediocre market and deep draft, it’s a major win for Hurst.
We can argue semantics, such as the overall offense helped those free agents put up the numbers. And the individuals certainly put in the work to earn them.
But there’s admittedly a little Joe Burrow effect going on here. If the Bengals are going to find another starting tight end in free agency, it’s probably going to be a similar short contract of the prove-it variety. They’ve already targeted Foster Moreau and Dalton Schultz makes a lot of sense.
For a free agent like that, a short deal for a nice chunk of change and the chance to put up possible career numbers before becoming the third tight end in a row to cash in massively elsewhere (or with Cincinnati) has to look pretty appealing.
